About Nicobarese:
- “Nicobarese” is a general term used by outsiders to refer to an indigenous community that inhabits much of the Nicobar Islands.
- The Nicobar Islands are part of the larger Andaman and Nicobar archipelago located some 1,200 km off the east coast of India in the Bay of Bengal.
- The Nicobar Island constitute a land mass of 1,841 sq.km, which is about a fourth of the total area of the entire Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. Of the twenty-four islands in the Nicobars, twelve are inhabited.
- The Nicobarese belong to the Southeast Asian cultural complex and speak an Austro-Asiatic language.
- However, they are far from being a homogenous group. The internal diversity among them takes the form of four distinct cultural groups. These are the islands of:
- Car Nicobar;
- Chowra (Chaura), Bompoka (Bompooka) and Teressa;
- Katchal (Katchall), Nancowry, Kamorta (Camorta) and Trinket;
- Little Nicobar, Kondul, Pulo Milo (Pilomillow), and Great Nicobar.
- According to the 2011 census the indigenous Nicobarese number 23,681. The population is unevenly distributed, with nearly half the population living on Car Nicobar.
- Largely self-sufficient, the Nicobarese practice a mix of hunting-and-gathering, fishing and raising pigs.
Q1: Who are Shompens?
They are one of the most isolated tribes on Earth. They are one of the least studied Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India. They reside in dense tropical rain forests of the Great Nicobar Island of Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands. Around 95% of the island is covered in rainforest. The Shompen habitat is also an important biological hotspot, and there are two National Parks and one Biosphere Reserve, namely Campbell Bay National Park, Galathea National Park, and Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve.
Source: New genetic research points to Austro-Asiatic connection of Nicobarese
Last updated on July, 2025
→ UPSC Notification 2025 was released on 22nd January 2025.
→ UPSC Prelims Result 2025 is out now for the CSE held on 25 May 2025.
→ UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2025 and Unofficial Prelims Answer Key 2025 are available now.
→ UPSC Calendar 2026 is released on 15th May, 2025.
→ The UPSC Vacancy 2025 were released 1129, out of which 979 were for UPSC CSE and remaining 150 are for UPSC IFoS.
→ UPSC Mains 2025 will be conducted on 22nd August 2025.
→ UPSC Prelims 2026 will be conducted on 24th May, 2026 & UPSC Mains 2026 will be conducted on 21st August 2026.
→ The UPSC Selection Process is of 3 stages-Prelims, Mains and Interview.
→ UPSC Result 2024 is released with latest UPSC Marksheet 2024. Check Now!
→ UPSC Toppers List 2024 is released now. Shakti Dubey is UPSC AIR 1 2024 Topper.
→ Also check Best IAS Coaching in Delhi